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Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
"For our indication I think what we had said earlier in terms of chronic diseases it's started to become a reality in terms of our context with risk factor seeming to be right now. When you review your data obesity being a primary risk factor, hypertension and having some level of cardiac disease would also seem to be factors that contribute significantly to those who have Sars Covid2. So it's important to stress that it's not only the respiratory symptoms that people seems to be looking out for or even this false misinformation and conception that people hooked up to a ventilator are the ones that are that. If you look at the clear evidence we are having now that isn't going to be the case."

Police Deliver Baby

So far on the news tonight, we've told you about three instances of bad police behavior. They're the kind of offenses that do no credit to the department and leave the Commissioner to give sheepish and reluctant explanations.

But it's not all bad news because on Friday night when a woman in labor stumbled into the Mahogany Street substation, the two officers on duty went above and beyond their job descriptions to safeguard the life of the new mother and her child. And earlier today they were both Commended by the Commissioner.

Chester Williams, Commissioner Of Police
"I also want to take the opportunity to commend corporal Robert Sutherland and WPC Abdullah, Robert Sutherland is from the gang suppression unit WPC Abdullah is from Precinct 2 area and these two brave officers were on duty at Mahogany Street police station. I think it was on Friday night when a person, a female, a pregnant female arrived at the police precinct and she was in pain and while there her water bag broke and she went into labor, the police officers got into action and they delivered the child and B.E.R.T. came, when B.E.R.T. came the child was already delivered, B.E.R.T cut the, is it the umbilical cord, cord and the mother and the child were taken to the hospital where they are both in good health and spirits at this time. So I believe that the actions of the police officers is one that is commendable and so I said to someone you know that you have midwives and so I said, in this case, Robert Sutherland is a mid-husband. But these are things that go a very long way, oftentimes you hear about the bad things that police officers do but there are a lot of good things that we do that goes unnoticed and so I'm happy that this is one that the public sees and recognizes as one being exceptionally done on the part of the police."

COVID Causes Pregnancy Complications

And while that mother had an easy if eventful delivery, it could have been a lot more dire, because pregnancy and delivery are also under the threat of COVID-19. That's because of the increased risk of Blood clots brought on by what we're quickly learning is a systemic disease. We got some advice for expecting moms from Maternal and Child Care expert Dr. Natalia Beer.

As we've told you Belize's 10th COVID death, that of expecting mother Verna Gladden came just after her C-section. Gladden who had been discharged from the hospital would return less than 24 hours later suffering from respiratory distress. She eventually succumbed after having suffered a pulmonary embolism.

Alfred Usher, the Man Who Talked Too Much

Last week we told you about contrabandista Alfred Usher, he went from quarantine to Kolbe Foundation after a committal warrant for a 2017 unpaid fine came to light.

And this morning Commissioner Chester Williams told us that Usher should have talked less and smiled more, explaining that the incriminating information only came to light after Usher's first media interview.

Chester Williams, Commissioner Of Police
"You know I watched an interview where the Honorable Micheal Finnegan said a wise head keeps a still tongue well after he gave that interview I got a call from someone saying COMPOL there's a commitment warrant out for that man because he was charged for contraband goods and was fined $20,000.00 that he had not paid. And so right away I directed the officer in charge of Orange Walk to go to the court and that warrant was obtained and so now instead of serving a quarantine he is now serving a jail sentence. Had he remained silent we would not have known that he was wanted on the strength of a commitment warrant."

AG On Why FFB Congress Still Happened

When we left you last night after the news, it was with the impression from the Prime Minister that the Government wasn't going to allow the Football Federation of Belize to hold its Congress to elect a new executive.

That's the clear message that Prime Minister Barrow gave while answering a question on that topic since gatherings of more than 10 people are currently illegal under the State of Emergency Regulations.

Then, It appeared as though the FFB was attempting to defy the Prime Minister and the Government with that memo, which announced that the FFB congress would be held at its Belmopan Headquarters, and not at the original venue. But, it later turned out that the FFB and the Government reached a compromise, which allowed the congress to take place with strict observance of the public health restrictions under the ongoing State of Emergency.

During a Saturday night episode of the Ask the Experts Webcast, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte gave a detailed explanation as to how that stern 'no' to the Congress turned into a yes'. Here are those comments:

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Attorney General
"When I heard of the layout of the whole thing, and what it would be, I immediately instructed the police to tell the FFB that, given what they were trying to do, and how they were trying to do it, was not acceptable and feasible, given the fact that we're in the middle of this pandemic. When I spoke to Mr. Chuc, because he called me, I explained to Mr. Chuc that even though, in his mind, he was following the law with the layout, that it would be very difficult to police. Too many resources would have to be put in place to make sure that they were maintaining the limitations of the law. And so, I told him that if he were to have it in the Cayo District, given the difficulties with that setup, I would simply have to not allow it to take place. I suggested to Mr. Chuc that he have it right at the FFB compound, in Belmopan, since it is a wide-open space, open-air, in the yard. And since it was just the elections, they could have it there. Mr. Chuc insisted that given all the preparations he had made for Cayo, it would be impossible for him to hold it in Belmopan."

"And so, I told Mr. Chuc that if he insists on having it in Cayo, then he won't have it, and the police will stop him from having it."

"The Prime Minister went into the press conference with that information, that it would not be happening because the FFB was insisting on it happening in Cayo. After the press conference, I spoke to Mr. Chuc, and Mr. Chuc finally said, you know what, I will follow your lead, and I will have it at the FFB compound today, Saturday, and the Congress would continue under the strict supervision of the police in 1 place, where they would observe all the protocols, and the elections would take place. So, when the elections happened today, they happened under strict supervision and with the permission of the police department, making sure that they followed all the protocols."

"At the end, Mr. Chuc compromised and had his congress, according to what the Government wanted - the rules that the Government wanted him to have it by."

Chuc, Back At The FFB Helm

Today, Sergio Chuc, the re-elected president of the FFB, granted us a teleconference interview in which he discussed the outcome of the Congress.

But, while we had the opportunity, we asked him what was so urgent that the Congress had to take place during a spike in the number of positive COVID-19 cases. Here's how he answered that:

Sergio Chuc - Re-elected President, FFB
"The election had been called for over 6 months now, and it had been postponed twice already. And every time the election is postponed, we have to give an addition - whenever we are ready to start - we have to give 60 days' notice. We had already given the 60-days' notice for the second time, and it was only 21 delegates who were coming to vote. So, there was in our mind, no risk at all, and we were not violating any laws, because we had actually rented out 4 different conference rooms at the San Ignacio Hotel in San Ignacio. We didn't say any problems, and that is why we wanted to complete it. We have a lot of work going on, and we did not want to jeopardize the funding that we are getting for Belize. We have the dorms being refurbished. We have the entrance of the Federation being renewed. We have a new dorm building being completed. We have the 2.5-million-dollars bleacher facility. We have a lot of work going on, and work of the federation. We can't put it on hold."

"The football Federation of Belize has an excellent working relationship with the Government of Belize. And so, we would never, ever try to disrespect the Prime Minister or create some kind of problem that could jeopardize the relationship that we have with the Government. The Government is actually our biggest partner in the development of football in Belize."

So, with the police hovering over their shoulders, the FFB held its congress to elect a new executive. And, after the votes were tallied, Chuc was returned to office as the President of the FFB. Other incumbents from his administration who won this election include Cruz Gamez, who was elected as the Vice President; and Marlon Kuylen and Shane Orio, who were both elected as executive members. The only newcomer is Jacqueline Pelayo. Here's Chuc's victory lap on the weekend win:

Sergio Chuc - Re-elected President, FFB
"I am very happy that on my part, I won with a convincing 90% of the delegates who attended and were eligible to vote, voted in my favor. I think clearly speaks of the work that I have been doing, and the leaders in football around the country respect the work. They want the plan that we have put in place to continue, and that is why they gave me that resounding stamp of approval. In the Vice-President's position, a candidate who I supported, Mr. Cruz Gamez, was also elected as vice-president. He was part of the previous executive. I think he ended up with 15 out of the 21 votes. One of the guys who was making the most mischief - and I will say it publicly. We won't call his name, but you guys have all the emails, the ton-load of emails he sent you, ended up with only a single vote."

"On the female side, Mrs. Jacqueline Pelayo won. She is has been working with the Federation. She is actually the manager of the youth female teams. The other two members who were re-elected - I must say - are Shane Orio and Marlo Kuylen, who were also part of the previous executive."

We also asked Chuc about all those allegations of supposed misdeeds that his political opponents were raising against him and his administration several months ago. He said that the attempts to malign him was done by detractors who were trying to unseat him as President. Here's that back and forth:

Reporter
"Some have attempted to suggest that you came in with good intentions and that you have somehow slid down to employ some of the same administrative practices and politics of the predecessors who the community has ousted. And they're suggesting that you have - that your clean intentions have not withstood the test of time."

Sergio Chuc - Re-elected President, FFB
"Nothing has changed with how I manage football. Nothing has changed, and the people who are intimately involved can attest to that fact. My detractors tried all kind of - [technical glitch] - people who are doing football know the kind of progress I have brought to the federation. 2 and a half years when I took over, we had 14 employees at the Federation. Right now, we have 33 full-time employees, and we are about to hire 3 more full-time employees, including a full-time woman director, and a full-time female head coach. The progress continues."

"I am the same person with the same clean, transparent, good-governing background. You may or may not be aware, last year, we redrafted our constitution, our statutes, and in August 2019, Congress signed the new statutes into effect, which is all about good governance. Under these new statutes, in December, we had to elect independent judicial bodies that can bring down stiff sanctions on any member of the Federation. Because we have these independent judicial bodies, [it] is why these 2 gentlemen that are so obsessed in derailing the progress have been able to put barriers and challenges to these elections."

We'll have a little more from our conversation with Chuc, in tomorrow's newscast.

Curfew Back In Effect, Here's Why

So, as we've shown you, the country's COVID-19 numbers increased once again with 65 newly confirmed cases since Friday, and 5 more COVID-related deaths, which brings the total to 10.

During last week's Friday's press conference, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced how the enforced State of Emergency regulations would become more strict, as the government tries to slow the spread of the disease. Those latest changes to the SOE took effect on Midnight Saturday, which meant that on Sunday, they came into effect.

To provide Belizeans with more notice, and to simplify what the changes mean, Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte and Government Press Office Director Dorian Pakeman hosted an episode of the Ask the Experts Webcast on Saturday night.

It was a 2-hour conversation, but, here's what Peyrefitte had to say about the curfew, and how the government is being forced to gradually inch closer toward demanding that Belizeans stay home for their own safety:

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Attorney General
"Starting tomorrow, there will be 1 curfew. No 10 and 8, or time for during the week, and a time for the weekend, 1 curfew, 1 flat-rate curfew. 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. So, tomorrow night, the curfew is at 9, and the curfew will be 9 o'clock every night, until September 4th, when the State of Emergency comes to an end."

"And so, everything will take its adjustment from that. So, for example, all restaurants, stores and the like will be allowed to open until 8 p.m. every night, 1 hour before the curfew. And so, you have that hour to close up your shop, clean up, if you're a restaurant, and then have your people go home so that they can be at home, or on private property before 9 o'clock."

"Children, 6 p.m. is your curfew. Your curfew remains the same, but you can be with an adult, guardian or parent, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m."

"No person shall host or attend a private party that includes any person from outside the immediate household of the house occupant. So, if you want to have a house party, if you want to have a little get-together at your house, it cannot be with anybody who is outside of the house, who lives there. So, if you don't live at a house, you can't have any house party or attend a house party where you don't live, starting tomorrow. If you do that, you will be arrested, and you'll be charged."

Gyms Have To Close For Two Weeks

So, while those businesses get a 24-hour pass as essential services, there are those businesses that have been mandated to close under the State of Emergency, due to the risk of amplifying the community spread of the virus.

The AG had an update on those enterprises which have to close, and he said that gymnasiums are now among that list. Here are those comments:

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Attorney General
"We had said earlier that - from last week, bars, rum shops, discotheques, casinos, and gaming establishments remain closed. Another thing that will close as tomorrow, until September 4th, are gymnasiums. So, gyms will be closed tomorrow. You have to exercise at home. Or, you have to walk, run or cycle."

Around The Clock Services

There were also a few changes the types of businesses that are being allowed to operate in this stricter version of the State of Emergency. There are a number of important ones that the government is granting permission to conduct 24-hour operations, regardless of whether they are in the communities on lockdown, or the rest of the country, in which gatherings of more than 10 people is now illegal. Here's what the Attorney General had to say about those types of businesses:

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Attorney General
"Lockdowns still are in place for Guinea Grass, Santa Marta, Shipyard, and San Pedro. As the Prime Minister said in the press conference as well, those situations will be upon on a case by case basis, a village by village basis. And based on our analysis and assessments, that's when we will determine whether or not those total lockdowns will continue, or if it's possible for any of them to join the rest of the country, where it's not a total lockdown, but we have some restrictions."

"In those lockdown areas, wherever you have food mills, they're able to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The sugar, citrus, and other approved food production factories can operate now 24 hours a day. Oil production and driving for oil exploration in those areas where those things happen can now happen 24 hours a day. Port operations, services connected with the loading and unloading of ships and aircraft, and delivery to and from ports can now occur in those areas 24 hours. Public Utilities and independent energy producers can operate in these lockdown areas 24 hours."